The 2000s On High Desert: Highs, Lows, Drama, Tragedy

A lot can – and did – happen in a decade on the High Desert as the new millennium began, from the fastest growth rate in the state (and among the nation’s fastest) to the region’s worrisome – and to some, surprising — inclusion in one of the swiftest, steepest economic declines in U.S. history.

But of course, the biggest news that shocked the nation and the world – the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that followed – reverberated throughout the rest of the 2000s, bringing shock waves to Central Oregon as casualties of friends, family and loved ones hit hardback home.

On the air last week, NewsChannel 21 provided a collage of sorts of some of the biggest or most memorable stories of the past 10 years.

Here, thanks to online archives and stacks of newspapers, is more of an almanac-style list- year by year, and for 2009, month by month – of 10 years worth of news headlines.

It’s not all-inclusive, by any means, but should jog many memories of the newsmakers, debates, controversies and surprises that have arisen in the decade past – including issues that will linger well into the coming weeks, months and years.

2000Jan. 1:- Central Oregon joins rest of nation in sigh of relief as Y2K Bug doesn’t biteJan. 5: Three die in Santiam Pass collisionJan. 19: West Bend Traffic Consortium unveils $12 million plan to head off building moratorium, build roundaboutsFeb. 21: Three Redmond teens die in fiery crash on Hwy 126Feb. 23: Bend officials propose dropping Deschutes River swimming ban, imposed due to drownings but now blocking baptismsMarch 8: Three residents die in crash on snowy Hwy. 97 north of La PineMarch 16: Plans for resort north of Bend, later named Pronghorn, revealedMarch 24: Doug Nelson hired as Bend-La Pine schools chiefApril 8: V-22 Osprey crashes in Arizona, killing all 19 Marines aboard, including Seth Jones of BendApril 12: Humane Society of C. Oregon director Kimball Lewis says he returned home to find his dog hanging from treeMay 16: Deschutes County voters reject home-rule charterJune 8: Bend city councilors flirt with (later reject) idea of a cell-tower moratoriumSept. 21: Obsidian Trails Outdoor School staffer Charles Sharp arrested in death of 15-year-old ‘Eddie’ LeeSept. 16: New Crooked River Gorge Bridge celebratedSept. 27: OSU pitches Bend branch campus planSept. 27: Bend citizen group started – ‘Slow Growth Down’Oct. 9: Vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney speaks at Deschutes County Expo Center in RedmondOct. 12: Senate passes Steens Mtn. wilderness legislation, on way to Clinton’s desk

2001Jan. 2: Les Stiles is sworn in as Deschutes County sheriffJan. 30: Steven Gage, former operator of Royal Haven Equestrian School near Sisters, is sentenced to 45 years in prison for sexually abusing 19 teen girlsMarch 14: 2000 Census numbers confirm Deschutes fastest-growing county of 1990s, up 54 percent to 115,367March 15: Powdr Corp. wins intense bidding war to take over Mt. BachelorMarch 27: Five teens arrested at Canadian border in killing of Barbara Thomas at home on Old-Bend Redmond Hwy.May 5: Geologists report small but growing ‘bulge’ in area of South Sister, detected with satellite imageryMay 15: Voters OK Deschutes sheriff’s levy, bond for new Sisters high schoolJune 12: Lisa Stickney acquitted of murder, manslaughter charges in death of 14-month-old Tyler TheobaldJuly 5: Federal jury rules Bend Police Officer Al Campbell did not use excessive force when he shot, killed Adam Gantenbein in 1999July 14: Eyerly Fire destroys 18 homes in July 24: After deal for $25 million loan fails, Lancair lays off 207 employeesAug. 21: Crown Pacific Partners LLC announces it will shut Prineville’s last sawmillAug. 29: Last segment of $113 million Bend Parkway opensSept. 4: David Hales hired as new Bend city managerSept. 5: Summit High, Bend’s third large high school, opensSept. 11: Central Oregonians join nation in shock, grief and action in wake of terror attacks, lining up for blood drives; candlelight vigil held following night.Sept. 18: Bend voters back ‘Southern Crossing’ bridge in advisory voteSept. 20: OSU-Cascades Campus opens with 145 studentsNov. 6: Bend-La Pine, Jefferson County voters pass school bond measuresNov. 20: OSU-Cascades Campus avoids elimination in new state higher ed budgetNov. 29: State faces $720 million budget shortfall

2002Jan. 1: Jefferson County paramedic Bob Ervin is killed on icy Hwy 97 while responding to callFeb. 5: St. Charles, Redmond hospital announce $115 million expansion planFeb. 9: Snowboarder Kate Svitek, 22, disappears on Mt. Bachelor, later found to have fallen head-first into tree well and suffocatedFeb. 15: Bend resident and Nordic skier Beckie Scott wins the bronze medal for Canada as part-time Bend resident Chris Klug also wins bronze in Salt Lake CityFeb. 15: Stacie Burns, 19, of Bend, is killed when truck fails to stop at red light at Third Street/Highway 97 intersection in south BendMarch 22: Adam Thomas, 19, pleads guilty to aggravated murder of his mother, Barbara, agrees to testify against four friends also chargedMay 4: Randy Joseph Stewart sentenced to two life terms after pleading guilty in March shooting deaths of her domestic partner, woman’s sonMay 17: Bend Park and Rec Board fires Director Carrie Ward after investigation of her professional performance; recall effort against board ensues, as does federal lawsuit; federal judge rejects claims after trial in early 2006.July 13: Eyerly Fire explodes to 17,000 acres, destroys 18 homes in the Three Rivers subdivision near Lake Billy ChinookJuly 29: Cache Mountain Fire burns 3,900 acres, reaches northern edge of Black Butte Ranch, which evacuated, two homes lostAug. 13: Bend man Michael Allen West arrested; authorities find 50 guns, homemade bombs and Molotov cocktails in his 61st Ave. home Sept. 11: Thousands gather at Les Schwab Amphitheater for one-year-later ceremony honoring 9/11 heroes, victimsSept. 17: Oregon voters approve measure creating Lottery-fed “rainy day” fund for schoolsNov. 6: Final vote count shows Ted Kulongoski elected governor over Republican Kevin Mannix in closest race in state historyDec. 15: Wayne and Rebecca Nicols of Brothers arrested on 128 counts of animal abuse; horses seized in Deschutes County’s largest animal forfeiture caseDec. 17: Bend couple killed in their sleep when high winds send tree crashing into their mobile home2003Jan. 13: Ted Kulongoski sworn in as 36th Oregon governorFeb. 10: 17-year-olds Ashley Summers, Lucretia Karle sentenced to 25 years for their roles in March 2001 murder of Barbara ThomasMarch 11: Former Sheriff Greg Brown, ‘accepts full responsibility,’ sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison for embezzling nearly $575,000 from county and rural fire districtMarch 11: Deschutes County voters approve four-year 911 levyMarch 15: Emporium at Mountain View Mall holding going out of business saleMay 15: Judge fines Justin Link guilty of 22 counts in Barbara Thomas murder, faces life in prisonJune 30: Davis Fire along Wickiup Reservoir doubles in size to 3,000 acres, parts of Century Drive closedJuly 15: Jim Lussier resigns as CEO of St. Charles Medical Center’s parent firm after 33-year careerJuly 23: 600-acre 18 Fire explodes to life south of Sundance subdivision, hit by 1996 Skeleton Fire that destroyed 19 homesAug. 4: Majority of Bend councilors back ban on fireworks sales in city, but it doesn’t come to passAug. 6: Deschutes County commissioners pick state Rep. Ben Westlund to fill Senate seat vacated by Bev Clarno, who takes federal positionAug. 10: Booth Fire grows, forces shutdown of Santiam PassAug. 14: Seth Koch, 18, sentenced to life without parole for bludgeoning, shooting Barbara ThomasAug. 21: President Bush visits Central Oregon, speaks in Redmond to pitch healthy forest bill, first presidential visit in Central Oregon historyAug. 24: Van collides with semi truck near Vale, killing eight Oregon firefightersAug. 31: 22-mile stretch of Highway 20 reopens after 12-day closure by 36,00-acre Booth FireSept. 4: Camp Sherman residents flee a second time as Booth, Bear Butte blazes merge to form B&B Complex, at 71,000 acresSept. 24: Adam Thomas gets life prison term in killing of mother, Barbara ThomasSept. 26: Justin Link sentenced to life without parole, last of “Redmond 5” in Barbara Thomas murder caseNov. 9: State Rep. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, says he won’t seek fourth termNov. 17: After years of debate and construction, Bill Healy Memorial Bridge opensNov. 17: State Transportation Commission OKs Redmond RerouteNov. 19: Bend city manager David Hales resigns over “irreconcilable differences” with councilorsDec. 3: President Bush signs Healthy Forests Act

2004Jan. 27: Jim Hobbs named new St. Charles CEOMarch 3: Gay couples travel to Portland for marriage licensesApril 17: Curtis Kizer fatally beaten at base of stairwell in Drake Park; Stephen Withrow, 18, of Sisters, later admits to killing, convicted of manslaughter, gets 20-year sentenceMay 17: 18 men who sued Diocese of Baker, alleging priest’s abuse, settle caseMay 18: Voters pass new sheriff’s levy, vote down Bend-La Pine school levy,June 16: Bend councilors unanimously adopt ordinance banning discrimination against gays, lesbiansJune 25: Greyhound Lines announces it will end Central Oregon bus service Aug. 18June 21: House approves sale of former Bend Pine nursery to park district for future parkJune 29: 22-month-old boy drowns in Central Oregon Irrigation District canal in BendJuly 3: Redmond’s G Troop of 82nd Cavalry ships out to train in Texas before deployment to IraqAug. 11: Former sheriff’s deputy Mike Malloy indicted on 143 felony sex-abuse and drug chargesAug. 30: David Black is sentenced to 75 months in prison by reluctant judge after second-degree manslaughter conviction in Aug. 2003 street-racing deaths of two teen girls; fellow defendant Randy Clifford, 21, negotiates plea settlement, six months in jailAug. 20: Crown Investment Group, fearful of more legal delays, demolishes Bend’s 64-year-old Brooks-Scanlon crane shedSept. 10: Owner of Jake’s Truck Stop announces it will close as someone is buying land; it later moves to Eastside and Gottschalks is built on siteSept. 20: Teen Daniel Carter fatally shot on Drake Park footbridge; Peter Thomas Phillips, 21, later admits to killing in plea deal, gets 15-year prison termNov. 22: DEQ fines Crown Investment Group for Crane Shed demolitionNov. 3: Chuck Burley narrowly wins Bend House seat as President Bush wins second termNov. 5: City of Bend agrees to defer five years of lease payments at airport for Epic Air, which promises 400 jobsNov. 27: Loren ‘Butch’ Hammer, Redmond HS graduate, killed when transport plane crashes in AfghanistanDec. 27: Seven people fall about 10 feet from Pine Marten lift when it stops abruptly

2005Jan. 1: Redmond teen Jordan Bilyeu returns home from Thailand, where he survived tsunami that killed thousandsJan. 18: Lancair announces plans to hire 130 more workers, expand at Bend Airport by summerJan. 21: Humane Society of Central Oregon moves to new Bend shelterJan. 30: Wal-Mart announces plans for Supercenter on Bend’s north end; as decade ends, still unbuilt amid opposition, Hwy. 97 traffic issuesMarch 1: Delta begins daily jet flights between Redmond, Salt Lake CityJuly 28: Bend Elks player Michael Wilhite, 20, drowns after falling off air mattress floating Deschutes in Bend; has twice legal limit for drunken driving.July: Gov. Kulongoski signs bill authorizing construction of state prison in MadrasOct. 24: Deschutes County Commissioner Tom DeWolf resigns over allegations he groped two women without consentNov. 10: Bend exchange student missing for three days in Brazil is found safeNov. 13: Redmond-based Army National Guard’s G Troop, 82nd Cavalry is demobilized after return home from year in Kirkuk, IraqDec. 14: Three Redmond teens accused of breaking into home, killing family pets and setting it ablaze

2006Jan. 4: Ex-Deschutes deputy Mark Rietmann agrees to plea deal, gets 36 mos. probation on sex abuse, drug chargesJan. 21: 11 indicted in eco-crime wave, including July 1997 torching of Cavel West horsemeat plant in Redmond, Dec. 1999 toppling of BPA tower east of BendFeb, 13: Sen. Ben Westlund quits GOP, goes independentMay 16: Deschutes sheriff’s levy failsMay 17: Bend councilors pass temporary ordinance to protect mobile home owners from evictionMay 25: Jim Diegel, interim CEO of Cascade Healthcare Community, picked for permanent positionJune 20: Madras learns Army Pfc. Thomas Tucker was one of two soldiers killed after being abducted in Iraq June 16July 5: Hawkin Groenendaal, now 19, sentenced to life in prison for murdering adoptive father with ax in January 2005July 9: Woman drowns in Deschutes River, caught in spillway beneath Colorado Avenue BridgeJuly 27: Hundreds evacuate neighborhoods near Sisters due to threat from Black Crater FireAug. 9: Gresham 15-year-old drowns after dropping from rope swing into Deschutes near Benham Falls Aug. 10: State Sen. Ben Westlund drops underdog bid to be Oregon’s first independent governor in 70 yearsAug. 14: Lake George Fire grows to 2,000 acres on Mt. Washington Wilderness, shuts McKenzie Pass HighwayAug. 15: Bend councilors approve agreement with Juniper Ridge master developersAug. 17: Gypsy moths found in neighborhood northwest of Bend, prompting later spraying effortAug. 21: Marine Lance Cpl. Randy Newman, 21, of Bend, killed in Iraq in third run-in with IEDsSept. 29: Calif. father, two sons die in Hwy. 97 crash near SunriverOct. 6: Grand jury clears three officers in Sept. 15 fatal shooting of Devon Linville, 35, of La PineNov. 1: Two semi-trailers collide head-on on Hwy, 97 south of BendNov. 7: Bend-La Pine school bonds pass as Kulongoski re-elected governorNov. 28: Two missing snowmobilers found west of Bend, but only son survivesDec. 11: Ben Westlund switches from independent to DemocratDec. 12: Les Schwab Tires announces it will move headquarters from Prineville to Bend’s Juniper Ridge

2007Jan. 1: Three family members from Bend are among 102 killed in Indonesian jet crashJan. 1: Civic leader Becky Johnson dies at Redmond home, at 93Feb. 26: Deschutes County commissioners appoint Larry Blanton sheriff as Les Stiles retiresMarch 5: Oregon OSHA recommends $15,700 fines over October ski life accidentMarch 13: Remains of Nicole Hutchings, missing since 2004, found in shallow grave near Sunriver; 2 men chargedMarch 29: Allegiant Air launches jet flights between Redmond, Las VegasApril 1: Promising young snowboarder Tyler Eklund paralyzed in Reno practice-run fallApril 5: Diana Sloane chosen to lead OSU-Cascades Campus, succeeding Jay CasbonApril 24: Marine Lance Cpl. Dale Peterson, Redmond HS graduate, killed in IraqApril 17: Bend bicyclist Kimberly Ann Potter struck, killed in hit-and run death; father, son chargedApril 18: Seaswirl Boats winds down production in Culver, closing plant after 35 yearsMay 11: Crook County Sheriff Rodd Clark indicted on charges of undue influence, official misconductMay 15: Deschutes 911 levy fails, as does new pool in Crook CountyMay 18: Prineville tire magnate Les Schwab dies at age 89May 30: Crooked River Ranch residents flee 350-acre wildfireMay 30: Company announces plans to drill for geothermal energy near Newberry Volcanic MonumentJune 19: Pair at Tumalo State Park save drowning 2-year-old boyAug. 13: 4-acre fire prompts evacuation of Sandalwood subdivision in NE BendAug. 14: Wildfire damages home on Awbrey Butte, traced to welding torch cutting metal rebarSept. 4: Black Butte Ranch evacuated as GW Fire roars upOct. 17: Bend City Manager Andy Anderson fired by city council in unanimous voteNov. 27: Cessna wins bid to buy Bend’s bankrupt Columbia Aircraft Corp. for $16 millionNov. 28: 3,500-member Oregon Army National Guard unit put on alert to head overseas; biggest deployment since WWIINov. 29: Lincoln County judge finds Crook County Sheriff Rodd Clark not guilty of charges

2008Jan. 9: Bend native, Army Spc. Zachary McBride is one of six soldiers killed in booby-trapped home blast in IraqJan. 13: Bend man, Scott Hacket, dies on ‘back side’ of Mt. Bachelor when he hits tree skiing with friendsFeb. 25: Mentally troubled woman jumps to death from lobby balcony at St. Charles-BendMarch 31: Former President Bill Clinton speaks at Bend High School, campaigning for wife HillaryApril 3: Pregnant Bend transgender resident Thomas Beattie appears on OprahApril 30: Prineville teacher Michael Geisen, U.S. ‘Teacher of the Year,’ visits White House, meets presidentMay 2: Bend Police detective Tom Brown shoots, kills Refugio Cruz-Fuentes as he appeared to be reaching for something (but had no gun)May 10: Barack Obama speaks to packed, cheering crowd at Summit High in BendMay 11: Bill Clinton returns, campaigns for wife at Obsidian Middle SchoolMay 18: Chelsea Clinton makes low-key visit to Bend’s Pole Pedal PaddleMay 20: Barack Obama wins Oregon primary, putting him over the topJuly 2: Lisa Braughton of Silver Lake drowns after 9-foot raft goes over Pringle Falls on Deschutes RiverJuly 5: Lawn-chair balloonist Kent Couch makes it to Idaho on third tryJuly 6: Bend teen Cole Ortega survives having arm severed by dory boat propeller on coast, doctors reattach itJuly 7: Body of Dr. Lynn McDonald, St. Charles ER doctor, found in Deschutes River below Benham falls after 2-day searchJuly 11: Redmond woman’s 140-pound tumor removedJuly 21: Cynthia Pacheco of Madras pleads not guilty to murder charge in fatal stabbing of boyfriend Manuel LupercioAug. 10: Car plunges into canal; two Culver teens dieAug. 20: La Pine’s first mayor, Stu Martinez, decides to step downAug. 28: Deschutes DA decides no criminal charges will be filed in deadly June bike-car crash that killed Duane NoteboomSept. 5: Two drownings prompt Pringle Falls logjam-removal planSept. 10: Sisters-area woman jailed in 1972 N.C. slayingSept. 18: Hundreds of Crescent Lake-area residents evacuate as Royce Butte Fire explodesSept. 26: Hawaii couple arrested in $2 million Bend burglarySept. 30: Warm Springs resident Jolena Warner surrenders in grisly killing of Lucinda Stwyer on reservationSept. 30: Bend City Council approves 11 more layoffsOct. 6: Sunriver Resort lays off 16 senior managersOct. 7: Bend teen Kaleb Brown arrested in samurai-sword stabbing death of Tracy RostOct. 15: Shock, sadness greet Bend RE/MAX closure newsOct. 20: Bend resident Britt Leis, stabbed about 2-dozen times on beach in Ecuador, returns to U.S. for treatmentOct. 24: Redmond Army Pfc C.J. Eggleston dies at Maryland hospital, two weeks after mortar blast southeast of BaghdadOct. 24: Allegiant Air kicks off Redmond-Phoenix flightsOct. 28: Pfc. Cody ‘C.J.’ Eggleston of Redmond dies at Maryland hospital after earlier mortar attack SE of BaghdadOct. 29: Two Safeway workers stabbed by David Molinaro, who later admits to stabbing ex-girlfriend, colleague, gets 18-year prison termOct. 29: Russell Willeford, former Camp Tamarack wrangler, arrested on charges of shooting horse, leaving it to die; is later sentenced to 90-day jail termNov. 4: Barack Obama elected president; locally, Alan Unger unseats Mike Daly, Judy Stiegler defeats Chuck Burley and Jeff Merkley squeaks past Sen. Gordon Smith; money measures lose – Sisters schools by 28 votesNov. 12: Cessna laying off 165 workers at Bend factoryNov. 14: Judge finds former Redmond police officer Robert Stratton guilty of assault, harassment in 2006 traffic stopNov. 18: Deschutes County comes to rescue of Humane Society of Redmond after it racks up more than $1 million in debtNov. 24: Bend council picks Jodie Barram to fill seat after former mayor Bill Friedman passes awayNov. 26: Bend Parks propose eight off-leash dog areas, which open in 2009Dec. 1: Prineville couple killed in violent head-on crash on Hwy. 97 near Deschutes JunctionDec. 1: Boys and Girls Clubs reopen after donations ease funding crunchDec. 5: Crash at Bend Parkway, Powers Road kills young Bend coupleDec. 5: Becky Johnson takes over as interim leader of OSU-Cascades CampusDec. 11: Madras police seek ‘armed and dangerous’ fugitive, Hilario Pineda-Ortega, in shooting death of David Orozco; he’s later found in Calif. and returned to face chargesDec. 17: Bend caregiver Janet Brashers arrested on assault, other charges in alleged abuse of 85-year-oldDec. 19: Prineville man arrested in bomb threat that shut much of downtown area for hoursDec. 22: Former Redmond city manager Mike Patterson pleads guilty to domestic assault charges, sentenced to treatment programDec. 31: Restaurateur Jody Denton announces closure of Merenda in downtown Bend, days after saying his Japanese fusion restaurant ‘Deep’ would shut

JANUARY1: New Year’s Day windstorm topples thousands of trees, knocks out power1-2: Bend man, Mtn. View cheerleader die in separate crashes, state’s first fatalities of new year5: Les Schwab Tires cuts 27 jobs in Prineville6: Bend city councilors adopt 20-year growth map; Redmond closing Brown HS7: Kathie Eckman chosen as Bend mayor11: Senate clears way for Badlands wilderness area12: Cessna to lay off 2,000 workers companywide14: Warm Springs father dies trying to rescue young son from burning home14: Gottschalks up for sale, files bankruptcy20: As Obama is inaugurated, Oregon jobless rate hits 23-year high21: Madras man dies, four days after fight at bar; Jeld-Wen laying off 51 Bend workers23: Les Schwab lays off 25 in Bend; Bright Wood lays off 6026: Central Oregon jobless rates soar to records28: Oregon Senate OK’s $176 million jobs package; Culver council drops police force

FEBRUARY2: Bend may seek delay in ADA requirements4: Bend council still stalemated on filling seventh seat; two days later, Oran Teater surprise compromise5: COCC enrollment soars, records fall; Brightwood plans more Redmond layoffs6: Bend Capt. Kevin Sawyer on leave amid FBI probe9: Sawyer 5 broker denies firm under investigation9: Middlekauff murder trial pushed back another year9: St. Charles parent cuts 74 caregiver positions11: Culver ex-police chief, husband arrested for elderly fraud11: Crook County students dismayed by spring sports cuts13: Bend real estate form closes amid FBI probe15: Madras man kills self after Hwy. 197 crash17: Bend teen Kaleb Brown pleads not guilty in samurai-sword killing19: Ex-Redmond shelter director Jamie Kanski ‘shocked’ by indictment23: Parents of suffocated Redmond baby going to prison26: Jobless rate hits 25-year high amid more area layoffs27: Oregon budget deal cuts schools, courts28: Bend police captain retires amid FBI probe

MARCH2: Thieves take loot from 17 cars in Bend3: Central Oregon jobless rates again set records4: Protest filed over Redmond School District’s Skanska pick for new HS4: Joe’s files for Chapter 11, looks for quick buyer6: Crook County schools cut five more days, 15 total8: Guard soldiers, families prepare for deployment8: Redmond-area man fatally shot in family dispute10: Deschutes ‘local rule’ killed, Sisters school levy approved13: Bend call center lands Apple deal, 350 jobs13: LCDC recommends Metolius protection zone15: Madras boxer critically injured in Redmond bout17: Deschutes Forest awards stimulus thinning contracts17: Redmond man admits shooting clerk seven times23: High Desert jobs picture got uglier in February24: Sawyers agree to $890,000 lawsuit settlement25: Bend homeless shelter, neighbors tangle over plans25: A first: COCC shuts spring enrollment26: Hernandez named new Crook County schools chief27: One in four Jefferson residents on food stamps28: Dozen horses seized in Powell Butte; resident cited30: Drug agents raid Bend’s Rigoberto’s taco shop, arrest twin-brother owners31: Two teens held in Prineville pharmacy’s fourth burglary31: Retailer Gottschalks unable to avoid liquidation

APRIL2: United adds daily Denver flights, boosts SF service2: Redmond school board feels heat, stillpicks Skanska (and closes Brown Alternative HS)3: Shutter down: Ritz Camera closing Bend store8: Hawaii man pleads guilty in $2 million Bend theft10: Joe’s to close all 31 stores, including Bend’s13: Oregon jobless rate hits 12.1 percent, highest since ‘8216: Hundreds gather in Bend for ‘Tea Party’ protest rally17: Sawyers meet with creditors, vow to ‘do the right thing’18: Gunman holds up Bend restaurant worker at bank18: Search of Crooked River for OSU drowning victim22: Sisters woman pleads not guilty in ’72 N.C. killing26: CDC confirms 40 U.S. swine flu cases, alert level raised29: Crooked River Ranch man, 22, arrested for impersonating doctor30: Hundreds urge lawmakers: Save OSU-Cascades campus30: Susie Lovisco avoids jail time in reckless driving case30: Cessna to shut Bend factory, move work to Kansas HQ

MAY1: Bend Eastside Safeway stabber gets 18-year prison term2: Godspeed: Oregon National Guard mobilizes for Iraq4: Emaciated, rescued Culver horses face long recovery7: Judge rules Powell Butte horses were neglected7: Jury returns split verdict in horse-shooting case9: Masked gunman holds up La Pine liquor store12: La Pine mayor resigns – third in nine months14: Chrysler cuts two veteran Central Oregon dealers15: Two long-time C. Oregon GM dealers get ‘the letter’16: Nine arrested in Bend online prostitution sting18: OSU-Cascades off chopping block; COCC faces cuts19: Sawyers ‘plead the Fifth’ at debtors’ exam19: La Pine parks get tax base; Crook County schools levy fails20: Governor visits job-seekers in Bend20: Bend pro cyclist Steve Larsen dies after collapse21: Johnson named OSU-Cascades leader21: Navy confirms Bend sailor died in helicopter crash24: Redmond man’s body found at Lake Billy Chinook26: Hamilton files bankruptcy after GM, Chrysler loss28: Injured Madras boxer Medina now walking, talking29: Big road bill with gas tax hike on way to governor30: Citizen searchers find OSU student’s body in Crooked River30: Bend river floater goes over dam, rescued by police, fire 30: Bend man taking scuba lessons drowns in Cultus Lake

JUNE2: La Pine 14-year-old survives being struck by lightning, goes on ‘Today Show’2: La Pine’s TJ Quick Stop Market robbed by masked gunman3: Gunman holds up Corey’s Bar and Grill in downtown Bend, runs3: Deschutes jobless rate jump No. 2 in U.S.3: Bend ‘thrill killer’ Spoonire again denied parole4: Thunderstorms pelt region with lightning, rain, hail7: $2 million Bend thief Dakotah Yarborough gets 5-year sentence8: Redmond schools OK cuts, four-day school week8: Storm dumps heavy rain, hail; Bend underpasses flood (again on 9, 12)10: Cary Greenlee of Bend denies killing wife in 1990 Mont. hunting trip10: ‘Cash for Clunkers’ plan draws support, opposition12: Bend’s Bob Thomas testifies on Capitol Hill about GM loss13: Fake ‘doctor’ gets 60-day term, probation15: Bend Bank of Cascades robbed; pair arrested in La Pine hours later15: Oregon jobless rate hits record 12.4 pct.17: Central Oregon Guard armories spared ax, but funding threats remain18: Bend council OKs water, sewer rate hikes; street fee stalls18: DA rules Redmond-area man shot, killed stepson in self-defense22: Lawmakers approve Metolius protection bill23: Motorcycle crash kills Culver man, Madras pub owner24: Central Oregon’s first H1N1 flu cases confirmed24: Thirty Wheeler County horses seized in neglect case25: School budget passes with adjournment near27: Suspect quickly caught in Bend adult store holdup29: Horse shooter sentenced to 90 days in jail30: Woman’s body found in blazing car near Sunriver; no foul play

JULY1: Gilchrist mill reopens, putting 70 back to work3: Sisters considers local gas tax for street needs6: Black Butte II fire grows to 400 acres8: Crook County confirms first H1N1 case12: Bend pair arrested in Jake’s Diner, TS&S break-in15: Deschutes River search for missing canoeist ends happily16: Ex-Jefferson sheriff’s deputy charged with on-duty affair18: Redmond 18-year-old drowns in Scout Lake near Sisters20: Deschutes, Jefferson jobless rates fall; Crook soars23: Bend police motorcycle officer struck by pickup24: East Fire breaks out east of La Pine, near Paulina Lake26: La Pine man arrested shortly after Bend M&J Tavern holdup27: Head-on Hwy. 20 cash kills Sunriver-area woman; trucker cited27: Aaron Garcia, 17, of Bend drowns in Deschutes River29: Governor signs transportation-jobs package29: Tight budget triggers Crook County Jail releases30: David Brandt named Redmond’s new city manager31: Young Life camp near Antelope reopens, week after H1N1 hits31: Heat records fall; lightning sparks new blazes

AUGUST1: Dramatic thunderstorms hit region, knocking out power and putting on light show1: Justin Burkhart, 28, disappears on early-morning walk in Bend, has yet to be found5: Split Bend City Council bans backyard burning6: Powell Butte ranch owner denies formaldehyde dumping7: Bend’s Epic Aircraft plant all quiet as questions mount7: Prineville’s Community First Bank shut by federalregulators, acquired by Home Federal13: Ex-VIM bookkeeper accused of embezzling $50,00013: Health care reform protesters greet Wyden in Redmond13: Fund-raising effort saves Powell Butte fourth, fifth grades17: Big marijuana grow seized on Warm Springs reservation17: Secret industrial project could bring jobs to Prineville19: Bend woman dies of H1N1 flu20: Two C. Oregon canal-piping projects win stimulus funds20: Bend 18-year-old survives 65-foot fall on Mt. Bachelor23: Memorial to Tucker, veterans unveiled in Madras24: Agents raid $50 million marijuana grow in Ochocos25: Fired deputy Ervey Dominguez apologizes for on-duty affair at sentencing26: Bend man killed in Hwy. 97 log truck crash S. of La Pine26: Bend man jailed in Hwy. 126 crash; son, 4, injured28: Portland teen dies on hike with Redmond’s Sage Walk Wilderness School28: Redmond Guard member Reid Walch survives deadly Iraq blast29: Westside Church, neighbors settle expansion fight31: Bank of Cascades faces federal ‘cease and desist’ order

SEPTEMBER1: AT&T closing Bend call center; 35 workers laid off2: COCC’s space crunch ends fall enrollment early2: Merkley’s Prineville town hall brings big, boisterous crowd2: ‘Green’ elementary school set to open in NW Bend7: President’s speech to America’s kids sparks controversy9: Redmond OKs 3-cent local gas tax9: DUII driver gets 13 years in deadly Bend crash9: Reaction split to Obama health care plan16: Bend solar contractor indicted on $1.6 million in thefts21: Central Oregon jobless rates still on the rise22: After 11 years, State Police restoring 24/7 patrols locally23: Wyden amendments added to health care reform23: Texas double-murder suspect arrested in Bend24: Wildfire smoke makes Bend area ‘unhealthy’ for some25: Working Wonders Children’s Museum to suspend operations28: St. Charles nurse-turned CEO ‘Sister Catherine’ dies at 88

OCTOBER1: Terrebonne woman dies of H1N1 complications4: Bend residents awaken to early-October surprise snowfall9: Hospitals ask public to limit patient visits to curb flu risk12: Oregon jobless rate dips in Sept.; stimulus creates 8,000 jobs13: Transient Jason Centrone arrested in homeless camp stabbing deaths13: Bend bank robber sentenced to prison14: Teen sword-stabbing suspect Kaleb Brown changes plea15: Fire breaks out at Bend skate park, tied to welding work22: Gunman in dark clothes holds up Rooster Deli in NE Bend23: Suicidal Culver man – sheriff’s son – sparks standoff, later arrested27: Local H1N1 cases may have peaked, for now28: Madras soldier wounded in deadly Afghan bombing29: Feds award $30 million for Newberry geothermal projects29: Bend man facing manslaughter charge in Millican Road crash30: FBI investigates killing on Warm Springs Reservation

NOVEMBER2: At least 5,300 H1N1 flu cases in Deschutes County; vaccine trickling in3: Voters approve COCC bond measure3: State shuts Mount Bachelor Academy, alleges abuse, neglect5. Redmond woman shoots attacking ex-husband; DA rules self-defense6: Wheeler County DA rules hunter’s shooting death was self-defense6: Prineville man accused of fatally shooting roommate, prompting SWAT standoff8: Walden votes no as House passes health care reform bill8: Culver 14-year-old shot sleeping in RV at hunting camp; ranch hand arrested13: Tami Sawyer avoids jail time for contempt charge; appeals court says she’s likely to prevail16: Central Oregon growth slows, still paces state, PSU figures show16: Bend man arrested on attempted murder charge in stabbing of transient18: St. Charles eases visitor limits as flu cases fall; officials warn ‘third wave’ likely20: La Pine gas station worker robbed, gunman flees20: 13 indicted in $19 million Desert Sun Development fraud case25: Four bidders vie for Bend’s bankrupt Epic Aircraft

DECEMBER2: H1N1 vaccine finally available locally; few takers so far6: Snowstorm dumps almost a foot in Bend, followed by days of sub-zero frigid cold7: Kaleb Brown, 17, sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for samurai sword killing of mother’s boyfriend, Tracy Rost8: Major dog rescue under way near Burns; dozens of dogs living without shelter8: More than 3,000 Central Electric Co-op members lose power for hours in sub-zero cold11: 500-plus competitors gather in Bend for U.S. Cyclocross Championships16: State Dept. of Justice reports on OLCC’s alleged licensee mistreatment; agency promises improvements16: 700-plus people seeking work line up for 165 jobs at Bend’s new Olive Garden Restaurant16: Cash-strapped Bend may ask voters to annex fire department into rural fire district17: Deschutes County officials agree on putting $45 million jail expansion on May 2010 ballot22: Agencies rescue 117 cats from Madras home after woman becomes overwhelmed26: Man struck, killed trying to cross Bend Parkway31: Bend man, struck, seriously injured by hit-and-run driver who is arrested after going to police the next day